Oxford Development Co. , backed by a high-powered team of partners, is ready to push forward with the leasing and marketing of what it is calling Hot Metal Corporate Center, a new name for an established proposal to build a four-story, 120,000-square-foot office building at SouthSide Works .

It’s a project slated for an open plot on Hot Metal Street between a SpringHill Suites Hotel and the Circuit Center union facility that’s seen proposals come and go without ever reaching construction.

Shawn Fox, director of business development for Oxford, sees plenty of reasons why circumstances are different this time.

A Pittsburgh nonprofit applied this week for the first building permits related to a $3 million project that would plug a large hole in the city's riverfront trail system.

Downtown-based Riverlife Pittsburgh now needs to plug a large hole in funding for the project.

To date, Riverlife has raised about $2 million to build the Mon Wharf Switchback, said spokesman Stephan Bontrager. The project will connect the Smithfield Street Bridge to the Mon Wharf Landing and Eliza Furnace Trail below for pedestrians and bicyclists.

"I can't speculate how the (funding) gap will be made up," Bontrager said. "We're hoping the community will come forward to support this project, as it has so far."

About two-thirds of the money raised has come from foundations and individuals; the rest is from public agencies. This month, the Allegheny Regional Asset District announced plans to put $100,000 in public money toward the project over the next two years.

Currently, bicyclists and pedestrians must use a steep set of stairs off the bridge or a steep vehicle ramp to the Mon Wharf Landing. The switchback will provide a gently sloped, U-shaped path from the bridge to the trails below, and a new set of stairs will be constructed.

Also in the works, as a separate project, is a plan to create a better connection from the western end of the Mon Wharf riverfront park and trail to Point State Park. The only path now is four feet wide and separated from highway traffic by a concrete barrier and from the Monongahela River by a chain-link fence.

Bontrager said the Point State Park Connector project is expected to cost another $3 million.

Once completed, pedestrians and bicyclists on the Great Allegheny Passage will be able to get to the Point without having to get off their bikes in Pittsburgh or navigate what can be treacherous city streets.

"This is the missing link," said Scott Bricker, executive director of the Lawrenceville-based advocacy group Bike Pittsburgh. "These are important projects."

A Riverlife study released this fall predicted that the switchback, connector and planned Allegheny Riverfront Trail in the Strip District and Lawrenceville would result in more than 16,000 people switching from the roads to the trails for the bulk of their transportation needs. That would mean less traffic congestion and pollution and reduced transportation costs for those who use the trails, the study said.

I wasn't thrilled with the rounded part of the new PNC Tower design, but I like it better knowing it also has square parts--I'm particularly curious how it will look overall from the south (Mt Washington or Station Square).

By the way, I don't think the Millcraft project will do much to obscure it from Market Square, unless maybe you are deep into the southeast corner. Here is my crude attempt to show how the buildings will relate from Market Square (with a now outdated rendering of PNC Tower):

I said the Millcraft Gardens would block views PNC tower a few comments back, but I was stupidly mentally placing the Tower at PNC Plaza on the wrong side of Forbes. Like you say, from a part of Market Square there will still be some partially blocked views, but for the most part it looks like the Tower at PNC Plaza will be quite visible from most of the square. There is going to be quite a different view from Market Square in a few years when looking up Forbes Ave.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Between Three PNC and these two projects, Market Square is definitely going to feel much more "surrounded" by buildings.

I know. It should feel "surrounded" by vertical urban development. It is surrounded by only a few "tall" buildings (3 PNC Plaza, One PPG Place to name a couple), but more tall buildings will really give it even more of a dense urban feel...

-hoping to have the office and retail portions open by December 2013
- the hotel by March 2014

Glad to see there's another hotel in the works for downtown. It could definitely use another hotel (or three, quite frankly!)

Aaron (Glowrock)

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Location: The absolute western-most point of the Philadelphia urbanized area. :)

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Quote:

Originally Posted by markson33

Don't forget that McKnight is probably going to turn the top floors of the Oliver Building into a hotel too.

I would think that Hilton would still want to have a hotel in downtown too.

Isn't the Doubletree going to have the Hilton name associated with it? According to the previous, someone posted that it would. Not to mention, I believe the hotel portion of the Gardens project is going to be a Hilton Garden Inn...

I still think Pittsburgh can have at least one additional high-end hotel. If Baltimore and St. Louis can have a Four Seasons and Cleveland a Ritz Carlton, then I think the Steel City could have either one of those two. Or, are the Omni and Renaissance chains also in the same category as Omni?

1) Glad to see that the office project in Southside Works is going to finally happen. That ugly dirt lot by the hotel is sorely in need of being developed!

2) I'd say the Fairmont Hotel is very nearly equal in stature with the Ritz Carlton and/or Four Seasons, so Pittsburgh does have one luxury hotel already. Of course, I do see either a Ritz or (more likely) a Four Seasons probably coming to town in the next few years, especially if the economy of the region continues to improve.

Aaron (Glowrock)

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"The three most beautiful cities in the world are Paris, St. Petersburg & Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it." The New Yorker Jan. 9, 1989

Location: The absolute western-most point of the Philadelphia urbanized area. :)

Posts: 1,535

Those are my sentiments. Sure, the Fairmont and Omni are high up there in terms of luxury, but they're not 5-star. They're close (4 or 4.5) but not quite. I thought the Fairmont would actually be the city's first 5-star hotel, but they gave it 4... I think Pittsburgh has a market for such a hotel. Maybe if they finally can secure financing for One Grandview, perhaps that could house the city's first 5-star hotel. Other mid-size cities have 5-star hotels, so why not the Burgh?

I haven't given botique hotels much of a thought, actually. Those would be a nice addition.

The removal of the stainless steel roof from the Civic Arena is almost complete. There are only a few thin strips remaining on the side facing the Hill District.

Men at work(a bit out of focus):

I posted two more pics of the roof on the Hill District Redevelopment thread. Since, I had my camera and the sky was a nice color from the onset of dusk, I figured I would take a few pics of some other buildings. I always liked this building front and center. I guess it is just the downtown post office?

The big guy:

I have always thought the BNY Mellon Client Services Center was a beautiful building. Came out a little dark in this shot but anyways here it is:

And lastly, the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins tucked in behind Epiphany Catholic Church.

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